Lara Fielden of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism on press regulation in an era of blended media

The UK is at a pivotal point in the regulation of its journalism. Following the ‘phone-hacking’ scandal which enveloped the British press in 2011, the UK’s government has established an Inquiry to gather evidence on the culture, practices and ethics of the press and recommend reform of its regulation. However this paper argues that the future of press regulation cannot be isolated from a wider settlement for regulated media content. The range of broadcast, print, self-scheduled and wider online content with which consumers engage is characterised by mutation and convergence. By contrast, media regulation remains essentially static, divided and determined by an accident of delivery platform. This paper draws on an analysis of UK and international approaches to media regulation. It argues for a new regulatory settlement that incentivises standards as a selling point for content providers, and enables citizens to make informed, democratic choices across media platforms.